


dubious

by chadsuke



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Kid Fic, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29897994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chadsuke/pseuds/chadsuke
Summary: Neji needs to find a friend for Lady Hinata.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji & Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji/Uzumaki Naruto
Kudos: 41





	dubious

**Author's Note:**

> idk no thoughts head empty au where kumo stuff doesn't happen and neji's dad doesn't die ig

Lady Hinata is not allowed to go to the playground.

Neji is... perhaps slightly jealous of that restriction. It’s not because Lady Hinata is smaller than him, cute and tiny and younger, but because she is beholden to different restrictions, different rules than Neji is.

So, Lady Hinata stays home, and Neji’s father takes him to the playground. He looks at the other children dubiously. They are... screaming, and loud, and running around chasing each other in a way that is completely undignified, and did that girl just eat some _dirt_?

Neji looks up at his father. “Can we go home now?” he says.

Father just laughs. “No,” he says. “You need some friends... outside of the clan.”

That doesn’t seem to be a compelling argument. “Why?” he asks. “Won’t Lady Hinata be my friend?” She barely talks, now, but Neji is pretty patient. They’re both Hyuugas, so that’s the most important part, and he’s supposed to guard her when they get older, so they’ve got to be friends.

“She will,” Father says, though there’s something in his face that Neji doesn’t quite understand, “But you need more than that.” Neji still is not keen on this, so Father considers for a moment and then gently pushes him forward. “Lady Hinata will probably want more friends,” he says. “Maybe you can find someone suitable.”

That’s an acceptable reason, Neji guesses, the most convincing thing that he’s said so far, so he exhales gustily and heads into the playground like he’s facing his doom. He glances back - Father is gone.

He doesn’t know if Father is actually gone, or if he’s just hiding nearby, but the message is clear. He’s on his own, and Neji scowls a little.

Clearly, the kids eating dirt are completely out. How unrefined. The screaming ones are also out - they would certainly frighten Lady Hinata, and that’s not allowed, either. Neji spots two girls speaking quietly and picking flowers, and considers going over to speak with them, as that’s an appropriate activity-

When some kid completely knocks him over.

The air gets punched out of Neji when his back hits the ground, and there’s a weight on his chest. Blonde hair. The kid looks up, and they have bright blue eyes and strange cheek markings that don’t belong to any clan he knows of, and they look faintly panicked. “Sorry!” he says, and he scrambles off of Neji. “I didn’t see ya!”

Neji sits up, and then stands up, ignoring the hand the other kid sticks out. They’re shorter - and look younger. “You need to watch where you’re going,” he scolds, and the kid immediately scowls.

“Hey, hey, I said I was-”

“There you are!” shouts a voice, and the kid in front of Neji tenses up, both of them turning towards the voice. It’s three boys, grinning in a way that Neji would call distinctly unkind, racing over. “Can’t hide now!”

Neji has no personal experience with bullies. He knows they exist, of course - he’s definitely not an idiot, but no one is going to attempt to bully HIM. People might attempt to bully Lady Hinata, though, and Neji is supposed to stop that from happening.

He sees the way the kid in front of him tenses up, hands curling into fists at their side, glaring hard even as the others approach, and he thinks _Ah_.

Good practice, Neji tells himself, and he steps between the younger kid and the trio, falling into a familiar stance, palm extended outwards. They skid to a stop, alarm on their faces. “Who- Who are you?” the loud one asks, scowling. “You’re defending that loser?”

Neji activates his Byakugan. The face of the kid behind him is painful in its hope, and he stands firm. “Yes,” he says, confident in his ability to take them on. He’s a Hyuuga. He is very smart and very strong and they’re nothing.

They seem to know it, and they take a step back. “Y-You- Just wait ‘til next time!” they say, and they leave before Neji has to fight them.

He deactivates his Byakugan, sliding out of his stance, and he’s practically tackled from behind by the child. “You- That was so cool! Your eyes were so weird, wow, how did you do that!? That was so cool!”

The kid babbles, eyes wide and shining, and Neji considers them. They might be too _loud_ for Lady Hinata, but they are appropriately impressed by the Byakugan, and someone who has been bullied would certainly not bully Lady Hinata. “What’s your name?” he says, pulling himself out of the kid’s grip and putting a step of space in between them.

That doesn’t seem to damper the younger kid’s spirit at all. “I’m- I’m Uzumaki Naruto!” they say, brightly. “I’m going to be the next Hokage!”

Huh. The next Hokage would be very good as a friend for Lady Hinata, if this kid can actually do it. Neji inclines his head. “Hyuuga Neji. Do you want to be my cousin’s friend?”

Naruto wrinkles up their face in confusion. “I- Okay! But- can I be your friend, too?”

Neji lets out a gusty sigh. “I guess,” he says, and Naruto beams again.

This... might be a really bad idea, but maybe if it works out, Neji won’t have to go to the playground ever again, and that’s really, really appealing.

He just needs to make sure Naruto doesn’t scare Lady Hinata off, and he’s free.

**Author's Note:**

> shrug.jpg idk if this is even ic but whatever it was fun 2 churn out. anyway you can find me on tumblr at my writing blog **ftcoye** and my personal **chadsuke**.


End file.
